1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to carrying cases for portable electronic devices and more particularly to carrying cases having a combination of cushioning features and see-through panels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Padded containers for all sorts of fragile devices or other products subject to damage in the event of carelessness are widely available. Most such containers are opaque and do not permit observation of the contents without opening the container. This is a disadvantage while proceeding through an airport security facility, for example, where bags are often required to be opened to view the contents. Some containers have only a small area window, which is suitable only for verifying the presence of the contents while obscuring other features of the contents, or preventing positive identification of the contents. Other containers, which may have some sort of window for observing the contents, provide this feature without adequate padding or other protection against damage either to the window or to the contents in the vicinity of the window if some object should happen to fall upon or strike the container on or near the window area of the container.
Still other protective containers because of their copious padding are large, bulky, and often unwieldy during handling, particularly for thin or flat items such as laptop computers and the like. Other such containers rely on inflatable cushions placed at various places in or around the container. Such cushions require valves for inflation or deflation and are prone to leak. Other types of inflatable, air-filled cushions require continuous passages for air to flow between segments of the cushion and are thus susceptible to complete deflation and loss of cushioning if a single puncture occurs anywhere in the material of the cushion. Further, air-filled cushions having bubble-like segments interconnected by air passages for inflation or to permit equalization of air pressure have a disadvantage in that external pressure on one segment displaces the air in that segment, resulting in a loss of protective padding at the location of that segment. One solution to this disadvantage is to inflate the cells to a higher pressure. However, this remedy adds an extra manufacturing step and corresponding cost. Moreover, once the inflation pressure is lost or leaks out, it cannot be readily repaired without special equipment.
Thus, a need is presented for a container that both fully protects the contents against damage, permits a full and clear view of the contents at all times, does not require inflation or valves, and yet is not bulky or heavy or awkward to handle, etc. Such features would be especially useful for traveling with laptop or notebook computers, reading or writing devices, or other electronic devices or instruments.